Bearing for propeller-shafts.



J. J. COURTNEY. BEARING FOR PROPELLER SHAFTS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. 1917- Putenred May 528, 1918.

James J&M'Z7w y;

his M v ATENT FFICE,

BEARING FOR PROPELLER-SHAF'IS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 1918.

Application filed uctober 16, 1917. Serial No. 196,813.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES J. COURTNEY, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bearings for Propeller-Shafts, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to bearings for power shafts and particularly for propeller shafts, and the object thereof is to provide an improved bearing of this class which while being, as above stated, particularly designed for use in connection with the propeller shafts of ships, may also be used in connection with power shafts of any class having a stationary or fixed bearing through which they pass.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a side View of my improved shaft bearing;

Fig. 2 a horizontal section through the bearing on the line 22 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 a vertical cross section on the line 38 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing forming part of this specification, I have shown at a an ordinary propeller shaft, and at Z) my improved bearing, and in the use of my improvement as a bearing for propeller shafts, said bearing is so mounted that the end 19 thereof is the outboard end and the end 6 the inboard end and the propeller is connected with the end portion a of the shaft.

The bearing 6 comprises a main outer cylindrical casing 5* having a base 6 preferably provided with laterally directedears or projections 79, having bolt or screw holes 12' by which it may be secured in position, and said casing b is provided with a central longitudinal bore through which the shaft (1 is passed, and the inboard end portion of the said bore is enlarged to form a roller bearing chamber 6 in which are placed bearing rollers c. I

The roller bearing chamber 6 and the bearing rollers 0 take up about threequarters of the length of the casing 6 and the outbc ard end of the bore in the casing b through which the shaft a passes is enlarged to form a stufing box 6 in which is placed packing material cl, and the stufi'ing box If is closed by a screw cap 6 in the usual manner, and mounted on the outboard end of the shaft a adjacent to the screw cap 0 is a collar f which may be locked in any desired position by a set screw f and a similar collar 9 is mounted on the shaft to inwardly of the bearing or bearing casing b, and is also provided with a set screw 9 whereby it may be locked to the shaft a in any desired position, and between the collar 9 and the bearing, or the casing 6 thereof, is placed a washer h which is secured to said casing by screws 71?, the heads of which are countersunk in said washer.

The end portions of the bearing rollers c are slightly beveled or rounded as shown at 0 and the inner end portions of said roller bearings bear on the washer h, while the outer end portions thereof bear on an inwardly directed annular shoulder a formed in the casing 6 between the roller bearing chamber 6 and the stuffing box chamber 6 and integral with said casing.

The top of the bearing casing b is provided with an oil cup '5 which communicates with the roller bearing chamber 6 through a passage i and in the use of my improved bearing the collars f and 9 may be adjusted as desired, and when the bearing is used as a propeller shaft bearing, the stuffing box at the outboard end thereof will prevent any water from passing through the bore or into the roller bearing chamber, as will be readily understood; while the said stufling box will not, as will also be understood, interfere in any way with the use of said bearing when applied to, or used in connection with an ordinary power shaft.

In the construction shown, the bearing rollers c are one-half the diameter of the shaft (1, and this is the proportionate dimensions for said parts which I prefer, but it will be understood that my invention is not limited to this or any other proportion between the dimensions of the bearing rollers c and said shaft.

In the use of the device, the roller bearing chamber 79 may be filled, or partially filled, with lubricating material at any time, and this operation will prevent the) necessity of giving attention to this matter of lubrication for long periods.

Having fully described my invention, what one end portion of said bore being enlarged to .form,; a roller bearing: chamber,- in which are placed bearing rollers, and the other end portion of said bore being enlargedto forma stnfiing boX, the inner end of the roller hear ng-chamber be ngclosed by an inwardly directedannnlar shoulder formed in the caslng and-the outer end of'sa d chamber being closed by a washer; secured to the cas ng,

and said shaft being provided at both ends of the bearing With collars Which areadjustably securedthereto.

2. A bearing for propeller shafts, coinprisinga-main outercasing having acentral bore through which the shaft passes, the outboard; en d oi' said! bearing being provided With a stuffing box and the inner portion thereof -bei 1 ig en l arged to form a roller bearing chamber in which are placed bearing rollers, and the shaft being provided at; each end of the bearing With collars which are adjustably secured thereto. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my inventionl have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing Witnesses, this 11th day of. October, 1917'.

JAMES vJ; COURTNEY.

Witnesses C: E. MULREANY, H; E. THoMPsoN.

Copies of "this patent may be o btained for five cents each, by addressing the- Commissioner of Patents,

Washington D. 0-. I 

